The present invention relates to a fountain coater for applying a coating color on a web.
A fountain coater of this kind has been designed for example as shown in FIG. 1 which has a main body frame 1 and a backing roll 2 rotatably supported by the frame 1 about an axis 0. The roll 2 has an outer periphery on which elastic substance (not shown) such as rubber is wound. A web 3 is engaged with the roll 2 for movement of the web 3. A fountain 5 is mounted on a stationary frame 10 fixed to the frame 1 so as to be swung around an axis F. The fountain 5 has a slit 9 which extends in parallel with the axis 0 and through which a coating color 4 is applied to the web 3. The frame 1 pivotably supports a drive such as a cylinder 11 which has a rod 12 connected at its tip with a bracket 50 which in turn is integral with the fountain 5. A metering element 7 such as blade or rod is installed downstream of the fountain 5 in the direction of movement of the web 3 so as to remove excessive coating color 4 and form a uniform coating color layer 6 on the web 3. In the figure, reference numeral 8 represents a holder for the element 7; and 27, a header for supplying the coating color 4 to the fountain 5.
In order to apply the coating color 4 to the web 3, the drive 11 is energized to swing the fountain 5 around the axis F to adjust an angle for application of the coating color 4 defined by the web 3 and the color 4 at a point of their encounter, the angle (hereinafter referred to as fountain angle) being determined by conditions such as material of the web 3, kind of the coating color 4 and feed speed V of the web 3, whereby all amount of the coating color 4 is applied uniformly on the web 3.
Such conventional fountain coater, which adjusts the fountain angle through swinging of the fountain 5 around the axis F, is disadvantageous in that the gap between a tip of the fountain 5 and the surface of the web 3 cannot be maintained constant when the fountain angle is changed.
To overcome such disadvantage, the present invention has its object to offer a fountain coater capable of adjusting the fountain angle without changing the gap between the tip of the fountain and the surface of the web.